Seattle Grace High School
by 17daysgreys
Summary: Popular boy, Jackson Avery is smitten with new girl April Kepner, but will she return his advances?


Seattle was known for its rain much more than for its beautiful foliage during the fall, it was actually April's favorite season because of that. She and her family had moved from Moline, Ohio over the summer and she was starting her first day as a sophomore at Seattle Grace High School. It was scary to move away from her friends, but being in Seattle surrounded by the water and culture was better for her and her family. They had always wanted more for their girls, April, Libby, Kimmie, and Alice, so her family decided one day that they'd close their eyes and wherever their finger landed that's where they would move to. It had been fairly spur of the moment, but her parents were tired of the farm. Sure they loved it, but sometimes taking a chance and going on an adventure was worth it.

"April, honey, you're going to be late." Karen, April's mother called from downstairs.

"I'm coming." April brushed her fiery red hair one more time, put it into a loose ponytail with a few pieces elegantly framing her face, she wore light makeup just mascara and really thin eyeliner, and one puff of Ralph by Ralph Lauren perfume on her wrist. She had on her favorite pair of skinny jeans and a white off the shoulder top, after all it was 70 degrees outside and she was known for getting a bit too hot. She thought she looked cute; well she was a cute person. She didn't exude a lot of self-confidence, but ever since she got her braces off during the summer, got contacts, and learned which conditioner she should use for her hair she sort of blossomed like a swan.

"Now, you're going to be in the advanced classes, are you going to be okay with that?" Her mother asked.

"What choice do I have?" April smiled at her mother, who clearly understood her sarcastic tone, "And we can keep this between you and me, but I'm fairly certain I'll be the smartest one in the room."

"That is true, April. What did I do to get such a sweet girl like you?"

"I'm not sure." She twiddled her thumb over her silver cross necklace, that she wore every single day. She was a devout Christian, to the point where people would judge her on it. She never mentioned her beliefs to strangers, but one good look at her and the cross basically shouted her virginal status. Sure, she was only 15, soon to be 16, but she was already beginning to feel the pressure from her friends back home in Moline about getting a boyfriend and doing it, and this was Seattle she feared it would be worse.

"You're certainly less than a handful than Libby, I love her to bits but sometimes I'm glad we left her in Ohio to go to school." Her mother winked at April who just laughed. Libby her older sister had decided to stay in Ohio and attend Ohio State University, this was her freshmen year. She really wasn't keen on the idea of the family going on an adventure or experiment or whatever they had wanted to call it, she liked Ohio. She knew the people; the roads, exactly what grocery store she liked and which ones had the best prices. Libby Kepner did not like change, she never had, and April was fairly certain that she never would.

April Kepner made her way into Seattle Grace High School and found her locker. She opened it with ease, and started to put her book bag in there. A girl with long brown hair and bangs came up next to her and started to open her locker. April breathed slowly for a moment, this was her opportunity to make a friend, do something different for a change. She had friends in Moline, but she was a far cry from popular. And it's not like she wanted to be popular, she sort of just wanted to be noticed, not a blip on the social radar. So, she turned around and poked the girl on the shoulder, since she had earphones in. The girl turned around and gave her a slightly confused look.

"Hi, I uh, I uh didn't mean to bother you," April stared at the girl who was wearing a tattered t-shirt and had on dark black jeans and April could hear through her headphones that she was listening to some emo music, "I'm April and I'm new here," was all she could muster out.

"Oh, I'm Lexie. Lexie Grey. I'd be happy to show you around if you'd like?" The girl looked incredibly intimidating to April with her dark clothes and demeanor, but April was honestly giddy over the fact that she had offered to show her around.

"That'd be great. Thank you."

"So, when did you move here?"

"About two months ago, my family's originally from Ohio and they just sort of wanted a change, weird I know."

"Trust me, I know weird. I only found out my half sister was going to school here last year when our lockers were next to each other, talk about awkward," Lexie rambled. April was pleasantly surprised by this confession, it meant Lexie was nervous too and she could appreciate that.

"Half sister?"

"Yeah, her name's Meredith Grey. Same dad, different mom. It's a long story, but we don't get along. She's a senior this year so I'll only have to deal with the awkwardness for 180 more school days."

"Oh, I may actually have classes with her, I'm in senior math, English, and science." Lexie looked at her with a perplexed look, April hadn't meant to brag, but now that she thought of it she did come off pretty pompous, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that."

"April, it's okay. I'm in senior science too, thanks to my photographic memory."

"You have a photographic memory? That's so cool!" April gleamed.

"It does come in handy. Here, I'll walk to math with you, we have calculus with Mr. Webber, he can be sort of tough but I'll watch out for you."

Lexie led them into a small classroom with about twenty desks; she and April grabbed two in the middle so they weren't perceived as eager beavers or slackers. Lexie sat next to a guy and a girl who she introduced to April as Izzie Stevens and Alex Karev, the "it" couple of their grade. As she was talking to them and getting to know them, explaining the same story she had told to Lexie, she saw him. A tall man with the most gorgeous blue-green eyes walked in with his two friends, she was at a loss for words.

Lexie nudged her, "That's Jackson Avery and his friends Mark Sloan and Charles Percy, do not go there. It's not a good idea."

"You're only speaking from experience, since Mark dumped you last year," Alex pointed out.

"You actually have to be dating someone for them to dump you," Izzie added, "Oh wait, I'm sorry Lexie I didn't mean it like that."

"No it's okay, I know it's her fault." And speaking of her, Meredith Grey walked in with her boyfriend Derek Shepherd on her arm, he was Mark Sloan's best friend, and her best friend Cristina Yang walked in just behind them holding on to her boyfriend Owen Hunt. April was perplexed at all the couples this school seemed to have, causing her to stir a bit in her seat.

"I'm sorry I even asked, but trust me he's way too, too I don't know for me," April mentioned.

"I'll introduce you to our friend George after class, super nice guy, dependable, I think you'd really like him," Izzie said.

"That sounds nice," April, croaked out. She was nervous that she had sounded extremely desperate about the whole Jackson Avery thing, even thinking about him she could feel her cheeks getting hot and as usual red.

Jackson Avery was the captain of the basketball team, reigning homecoming king, and he had been admitted to Harvard early. He was the poster boy for perfection, and he knew it. He looked a lot cockier than he acted, but that didn't mean that he didn't appreciate or notice all the girls that swooned over him.

"You ready for this?" Mark Sloan, his best friend since freshmen year came up behind him.

"I'm never ready to start yet another school year," Jackson answered.

"But you're Jackson Avery, star basketball player and math-lete," Mark teased.

"Hey, keep your voice down, no one needs to know about that."

"What, that you actually like doing math?"

"Who likes doing math?" Charles Percy asked as he joined his two best friends.

"Jackson does," Mark answered.

"Well of course he does, how do you think I made it to calculus this year? If it weren't for this guy doing my homework for me, I'm sure I'd be stuck in algebra." Just as Charles finished his sentence, the bell for the start of first period began and the guys headed towards Weber's classroom. Jackson would be the last person to admit that he actually really enjoyed school. He liked learning, he liked sports, and he liked the school spirit, and even though he knew he had a whole year left at this place the thought of leaving made him feel really nostalgic. These past three years had been amazing for him, about as well as anyone could ask for, typical teen movie good. He walked into the classroom with his friends when she caught his eye, she was someone he didn't recognize at all and although he was popular he still knew everyone at school, it really wasn't that big. He saw her red hair, he couldn't remember anyone with red hair, how her long, curled ponytail cascaded over her shoulders. She looked effortless and he couldn't help but stare at her, but before he could get a good look Mark had pushed him forward into his seat.

"Good morning class," Mr. Webber called as he took command of the classroom. Jackson had caught side glances of the mysterious red-headed girl who now was facing the front of the classroom and had her notebook out turned open to a fresh page.

"All right, we're going to start with roll, Jackson Avery."

"Present," Jackson responded. He looked over her way again, she didn't look up from her paper, but she was twiddling with something around her neck, a necklace he though. Mr. Webber kept calling out the names of everyone in the class; then he got to her name, "April Kepner."

"Here," she softly responded.

April was her name. It was a good name, Jackson thought to himself. Weber didn't do much teaching since it was only the first day, so the class seemed to drag on for hours. As soon as the final bell rang he wanted to go over to her and introduce himself, but before he could she was whisked out of the room by Lexie Grey. Jackson knew better than to get involved with Lexie, she had not taken Mark's rejection of her very well and she was still pretty convinced that Jackson had something to do with it. Although he didn't, he really could have cared less if Lexie and Mark were dating, that was all on Mark. He was slightly disappointed that he didn't get to go and talk to her, but he had the rest of the school year to see her in math, so this wasn't the end.

"Okay, so you have English Lit with Mrs. Torres, she's super great you'll have a good time in that class," Lexie explained to April.

"Thank you, and it's just down the hall and on the left right?"

"Exactly. I'll meet you by our lockers afterwards and then we can go to lunch."

"Thank you."

"Anytime, catch you later April," Lexie called out. Now was her first experience alone with the upperclassmen and to say she was nervous was the biggest understatement of the year. She walked into the classroom and sat on the left hand side, towards the back of the classroom so she would go as unnoticed as possible. She didn't want to make a scene. She was actually sort of confused as to why she was in advanced English, it was never her strongest subject, not like math and science, but she decided not to argue when she was handed her schedule.

"Damn, I have English with Torres," Jackson moaned to his friends, "She hates me from last year."

"Well, don't use SparkNotes to do your papers this time, dummy," Mark quipped back.

"Funny for you to say, did you see how long _Moby Dick_ was? And it was basketball season, she put me between a rock and a hard place."

"Excuses, excuses man," Charles added, "Anyways, catch you later man, I have gym."

"Lucky," Jackson mumbled under his breath. And so, he reluctantly made his way to Torres' classroom, which was filled with pez dispensers and posters of old novels made into movies, and that's when he saw her, April. She was sitting alone in the corner, he debated whether or not he should approach her. Was it weird, annoying, too forward? It wasn't like he was going to say hi to her and then they'd be dating and by the end of lunch, fucking. Okay, it's not like the thought hadn't crossed his mind, he was a guy, but he wasn't that type of guy.

He made his way towards her went to sit in the seat next to her, she didn't look up which only added to his confusion, "Is this seat taken?" He asked, pulling out all the charming quips he had. He looked at her directly, watched as her head slightly turned towards his and now he got a glimpse of her beautifully colored, hazel eyes.

"No, it's not, go ahead."

"Thank you."

"I'm Jackson by the way."

"April."

"I don't think I've seen you before, are you new?"

"Yeah, I am." But before Jackson could get another word in edgewise, Mrs. Torres came in and started her lesson.


End file.
